Album

Kielo (1999)

Yes, I did say accordion, but this is no jolly squeezebox, pretty tunes and big smiles. The man who takes on a 15-kilo snarling beast – and wins – has a mission: to drain the accordion of every last drop of music and, in the process, to find a means of self-expression which unashamedly explores the whole gamut of human emotion.
The Independent, Fiona Talkington

Album

Uumen (2005)

On each piece, the pair use different ways to build the tension and surprise so essential to improvisation. For the opening of “Utopia,” Pohjonen coaxes wispy tones that are round and warm like an organ, while Echampard splashes his brushes around his kit. Combine these effects with Pohjonen’s slurping, gulping, garbling vocal effects, and the piece begins to take shape similar to that of the improvised electronic worlds of poire_z. They then transform the interplay into a multi-layered drone, then into a dirge.
“Uumen” is a Finnish word that describes a place of meditative calm. It’s an excellent metaphor for the state of mind of improvisers, and Pohjonen and Echampard deserve credit for their ability as storytellers to enter that place and take the listener with them. Matthew Wuethrich, Dusted

Album

Quiver (2008)

Pronounced "kay-too" this three-piece avant-garde fusion combo showcases the talents of Finland's Kimmo Pohjonen, known in some quarters as the Hendrix of the accordion. Pohjonen is joined by King Crimson graduates Trey Gunn on Warr guitar (that's a customised guitar that can be played upright and hit as opposed to strummed) and percussionist Pat Mastelotto. This second album showcases Pohjonen's unique ability to transform that most unglamorous of instruments into anything from the gentle rippling of a pond on a summer's day to the apocalyptic roar of a multiple re-entry warhead missile as it incinerates a screaming city in a thermonuclear blast of cosmic hell. The sound defies category: it's like you might imagine Bitches Brew-era Miles Davis if he had been brought up playing central European gypsy music or Scots accordion supremo Jimmy Shand if he had been born on Mars (and signed to ECM). Occasionally King Crimson-ish, sometimes Zappa-esque, they meander off into a whole globe of ethnic possibilities and back again. It's music that challenges you yet is still eminently listenable: although this is music created by an almost telepathic bond between the musicians, it's never music that - like so much contemporary jazz - leaves the listener out of the equation. Tommy Udo, Prog Magazine, March 2010

Album

8 Armed Monkey (2005)

KTU (pronounced "K2") are a quartet of devilishly integrated halves: avant-accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen and digital manipulator Samuli Kosminen from Finland, and drummer Pat Mastelotto and guitarist Trey Gunn from King Crimson. Their debut 8 Armed Monkey, recorded live in 2004, is a robust tumult of Northern Lights sparkle, white-wolf guitar wail and rolling knotted thunder. Pohjonen is a wonder unto himself: animating his wind song with pedals and processing; attacking the bellows with the ecstatic fury of Jimi Hendrix. When I saw KTU play in Europe recently, they were as powerful and transgressive as the current killer Crimson (without, of course, Robert Fripp). But I was stunned to discover, after the show, that KTU have yet to get an American gig, because, Gunn said, promoters are afraid of the word "accordion". People, look at it this way: Pohjonen plays the ultimate in air guitar. Now hit the phone. David Fricke, Rolling Stone

Album

Kluster (2002)

The accordion, panned and swirled through effects, goads a series of Eastern European rhythms into a seething Transylvanian fantasy...voices evoke souls in torment; and Kosminen's rhythmic samples conjure up infernal frying and boiling, or maybe a caveful of snoozing monsters...The accordion devours the world... The Wire

Album

Kalmuk (2002)

It’s truly music without barriers and one of the most breathtaking musical experiences in contemporary music. I don’t know what genius is but Kalmuk will do until a decent definition comes along. Jazzwise

Album

Uniko (2011)

The music is sheer physicality”… ”Uniko” is like an ocean tide coming in. Big waves of sound build in complexity, animation and sometimes sheer frenzy, then abruptly retreat into small lyrical moments, amplified pizzicatos or buzzings by some huge and imaginary insect. Mr. Pohjonen, a virtuoso on an accordion wired for sound, guided things along and became so excited at the end that one worried about his well-being. Bernard Holland / New York Times

DVD

Kalmuk

It’s truly music without barriers and one of the most breathtaking musical experiences in contemporary music. I don’t know what genius is but Kalmuk will do until a decent definition comes along. Jazzwise

DVD

Uniko

Kimmo Pohjonen’s Uniko project with the Kronos Quartet was a TOTW album in #75. This magnificent DVD of their performances at the Helsinki Festival in 2004 show what an extraordinary piece of music this is. The music created by accordionist Pohjonen and hid electronic drum pad colleague Samuli Kosminen simply transcends borders. It is folk, avant-garde, classical and unlike anything you’ve ever heard before. This DVD of the concerts at the Helsinki Festival is very well directed and filmed to bring the excitement of the music across – not an easy task with six seated musicians on stage. But body-building accordion wielder Pohjonen looks muscular and powerful. Kosminen gets into his drum pads and Kronos look extremely dynamic too, with big close-ups of bows on strings and dramatic crash zooms. With a narrow depth of focus that brings out the drama of this music and great sound, it clearly shows what quality filming can do compared to the YouTube perspective. There’s also a very good “Making Of” bonus DVD with good interviews from Pohjonen, Kosminen and Kronos. This is a DVD that really takes you into an extraordinary concert and the creative work surrounding the music. Simon Broughton